Comments: While the college arms are getting the bulk of the attention in this year's class, there are a number of high-octane high schoolers generating first-round buzz, as well. Perhaps a half-step behind the elite prepsters is Stephenson, who has drawn some comparisons to Matt Garza. Stephenson has plenty of arm strength, with a fastball that has touched 97 mph. The NoCal product, who has a commitment to the University of Washington, also has shown a curve that is a plus at times, though it's been inconsistent. He has a changeup, but like with many high school pitchers, it's a little behind his other pitches. Stephenson is not just a thrower -- he throws strikes, by and large -- but his control is better than his command right now. But with a good pitcher's body and excellent makeup, he could be a good choice for someone picking in the bottom third of the first round.Enhanced Scouting Report

25

Ross, Joe

Bishop O'Dowd School (CA)

RHP

R/R

6'03"

185

1993-05-21

HS

Comments: Tyson Ross' younger brother has a terrific pitcher's body and the chance to have big-time stuff to go along with it. The NoCal high school product has the potential to have two outstanding power pitches. He can get the fastball up to 95 mph, sitting comfortably in the 90-91 mph range most of the time. His fastball does have some sink and run to it as well, though he has a tendency to leave it up in the zone. He opens his front side up too quickly, giving hitters a better look at the heater and making it more hittable than it should be. He throws a power curve 78-81 mph, though he'll drop it a few ticks from time to time. It has good spin and depth and should be a plus pitch. He also throws a changeup, but like with many high school pitchers, it's still in its nascent stages. While he largely throws strikes, his overall command isn't as good. His overall ceiling may be as a guy in the middle of a rotation, but it may take some time for people to find out, as many feel he'll be tough to sign away from his UCLA commitment.Enhanced Scouting Report

23

Meyer, Alex

Kentucky

RHP

R/R

6'09"

220

1990-01-03

JR

Comments: When Meyer was a high school prospect in Indiana three years ago, he was very much a raw thrower, a project with a long way to go. For the first two years at the University of Kentucky, he didn't really seem to develop much. And while he's still not a finished product, he has come a long way in his junior season, just in time for the Draft. The tall and lanky right-hander, who still has room for added weight and strength, has an outstanding combination of two plus pitches, with his fastball and slider. He'll get the fastball up to 96-97 mph, with some tail to the inner half of the plate. His power slider comes in at 86-88 mph, and it's a nasty pitch. In the past, he's had serious command issues. He's certainly not impeccable, but he has been getting ahead of hitters more consistently and shown fringy average command overall. He also started throwing an 85-mph changeup. It lags behind the other two, but it could be Major League average, a usable pitch, for sure. Meyer was coming on strong at the right time, and if that offspeed pitch continues to develop, he has the chance to be a top-of-the-rotation-type starter, and that should have many teams, particularly those in the second half of the first round, taking a long look at him.Enhanced Scouting Report

12

Jungmann, Taylor

Texas

RHP

R/R

6'06"

220

1989-12-18

JR

Comments: While there are a couple of college arms that have gotten a bit more buzz as being top-of-the-draft types, there may not be another pitcher in the country who's been more consistently effective than the Texas Longhorns ace. The big right-hander with a Mike Pelfrey-type frame has three plus pitches and shows the ability to maintain his stuff deep into every start. His fastball has been around 91-97 mph, even touching 98 mph, and sits comfortably in the 93-95 mph. His fastball has plus movement as well. His curve, with a hard, tight 11-to-5 break, is also a plus pitch, as is his changeup. While his command is average -- he occasionally gets too much of the middle of the plate -- he's got outstanding control, throwing strikes and not hurting himself with walks. He'll have to learn to pitch off the plate more, but that shouldn't be an issue. Jungmann did have elbow surgery in high school that might concern some teams, but that shouldn't be enough of a red flag to keep him from going off the board in the top half of the first round.Enhanced Scouting Report

24

Guerrieri, Taylor

Spring Valley HS (SC)

RHP

R/R

6'03"

195

1992-12-01

HS

Comments: Guerrieri entered the year as an interesting, if not outstanding, high school pitching prospect, but had decision-makers flocking to South Carolina as word spread about him lighting up the radar gun. The projectable right-hander has been up to 97 mph this spring, throwing his fastball anywhere in the 92-97 mph range. He's also got a plus curveball, a hard downer breaking pitch, thrown 83-84 mph. He hasn't had much use for a changeup in high school, but he has a feel for it, and it should be an average pitch in the future. He'll also mix in an 87-90 mph cutter, showing he's not just about arm strength. With average command and a great pitcher's body to go along with good arm action and delivery, Guerrieri has moved up to the upper echelons of a pretty good prep pitching class and could be one of the early ones to go off the board.Enhanced Scouting Report

18

Gray, Sonny

Vanderbilt

RHP

R/R

5'11"

200

1989-11-07

JR

Comments: Gray was a pretty good prospect coming out of high school. Now, after three years at Vanderbilt, he's emerged as one of the better pitching prospects in the game. He's not the biggest guy in the world, though most teams will look past the standard "undersized righty" bias because of his very good raw stuff. Gray will throw his fastball up to 94 mph with some pretty good run and sink to it. His breaking ball -- a slider that looks kind of like a hard, power curve -- gets swings and misses and can be a strikeout pitch in the future. His changeup is a touch behind, but still has good fade and is a very good third option. His biggest problem has been with his command because of some mechanical/delivery issues and that could hurt his stock a little, but not too much. He's got the stuff to pitch at or near the top of a rotation, and if he can show better control/command, he's still someone who should warrant consideration in the top half of the first round.Enhanced Scouting Report

14

Fernandez, Jose

Braulio Alonso HS (FL)

RHP

R/R

6'03"

215

1992-07-31

HS

Comments: A very strong fastball-slider combination to go along with an outstanding feel for pitching and plus mound presence has Fernandez as another of the hard-throwing high schoolers hoping to hear his name called in the first round. Fernandez has been up to as high as 97-98 mph this spring and can sit comfortably in the 93-95 range. He's picked up some velocity as the spring has progressed. His slider has the chance to be an out pitch, one with late movement that is nasty at times. He's got some feel for a changeup, but it needs work and is behind the other two offerings. He's around the strike zone more often than not, with advanced control for his age. He'll have to stay on top of his conditioning, but the combination of a live arm and pitchability is a rare commodity indeed.Enhanced Scouting Report

1

Cole, Gerrit

UCLA

RHP

R/R

6'04"

220

1990-09-08

JR

Comments: This will be the second time Cole is a first-round pick, having gone to the Yankees No. 28 overall in 2008 out of high school before heading to UCLA instead. Three years in college have done nothing but improve Cole's stock, as he entered the year as the consensus top pitcher in the class, and not much has altered that evaluation, though some rough outings, results-wise, have caused some pause. Cole looks and throws like a future ace, with three plus power pitches. His fastball is 92-99 mph and sits comfortably at 95-96 deep into starts. His hard slider comes in at 88-90 mph, and even his changeup is 88-90 mph. In some ways, that's been the problem -- no variation of velocity, allowing good hitters to time him. During a stretch when he was getting hit, despite his stuff looking just fine, he was opening his front side so his release point was right down the middle, meaning his stuff was catching too much of the plate. It was coming in flat, with a lack of deception. His control is fine -- he doesn't hurt himself with walks -- but his command within the zone is what really hurt him during that stretch. That won't keep the top couple of teams from putting him at or near the top of their boards, but it undoubtedly will lead to deeper conversations about the first overall pick.Enhanced Scouting Report

4

Bundy, Dylan

Owasso HS (OK)

RHP

S/R

6'01"

200

1992-11-15

HS

Comments: Bundy entered the spring considered one of the top high school arms in the Draft class, if not the best. And nothing has happened to change that evaluation. If anything, his performance at his Oklahoma high school has improved his standing. The right-hander has been dominant, featuring three plus to above-average pitches. His fastball is among the best in the Draft, touching 98 mph and sitting at 95 mph. It's got above-average movement to boot. He complements it with two good breaking pitches. He'll throw his curve 75-79 mph and it should be at least an above-average pitch with tight rotation and some bite to it. He's got an 83-85 mph slider which isn't quite as good as the curve now, but has the chance to be in the future. He has a changeup, though it's behind the other pitches. But even that one has the chance to be Major League average. He does it all with a strong, athletic frame and very good delivery, which should allow him to develop his already good control into excellent overall command of all his pitches. His future potential as a frontline starter had some teams very high up giving him serious consideration.Enhanced Scouting Report

7

Bradley, Archie

Broken Arrow Sr HS (OK)

RHP

R/R

6'04"

225

1992-08-10

HS

Comments: If big, projectable high school right-handers are your thing, then Bradley may be the guy for you. He seemed to shake off a rough start to the season by returning to close to the summer form that put him near the top of many lists. Bradley looks the part, strong and tall with a lot of arm strength. When he's right, he can touch 96 mph with his fastball, and he was throwing 93-96 mph after his initial struggles. He's got a power curve that will be at least an above-average pitch, and his changeup will be fine, giving him the chance to have three above-average pitches. He doesn't just rear back and throw it, and he should have future plus control and command. A three-sport athlete, it's possible his slow start was due to not being able to focus solely on pitching. While he may not have been as consistently good this spring as he was last summer, a strong finish should move him back up boards, and he could be better than the other high school arms in this class a few years down the line.Enhanced Scouting Report

21

Beede, Tyler

Lawrence Academy (MA)

RHP

R/R

6'04"

1993-05-23

HS

Comments: There might not be a high school pitcher with better mechanics than this Massachusetts product. The right-hander has a clean and effortless delivery, and the ball comes out of his hand really well. Beede throws his fastball 89-93 mph, sitting comfortably at 91-92 mph, with good late life. He's got a nasty hard breaking ball, which is kind of between a curve and a slider, with the shorter break of a slider, but with the depth that looks more like a curve. He's also got good feel for a changeup, and he's got above-average command of all three pitches. He pitches now like an advanced college arm, something it might be difficult to sign him away from doing at Vanderbilt next year.Enhanced Scouting Report

3

Bauer, Trevor

UCLA

RHP

R/R

6'01"

175

1991-01-17

JR

Comments: While ace Gerrit Cole has, somewhat understandably, gotten most of the buzz at UCLA, the guy pitching the next day has been just as effective, if not moreso. Bauer uses a vast assortment of weapons to get hitters out. He can get his fastball up to 97 mph, sitting comfortably in the 93-94 mph range. He can overthrow it early, losing some command, but he tends to adjust and commands it very well later in games. His curve is a plus pitch, a top-to-bottom breaking ball that generates a lot of swings and misses. He also throws a slider, changeup and splitter and will use them all as necessary. Bauer gets, and welcomes, Tim Lincecum comparisons, both because of his size and his pitching style. Critics think it's not a fair comp and that Bauer succeeds by getting college hitters to chase pitches out of the zone, something that won't fly at the next level. There's also been some concern about heavy pitch counts, but if the Lincecum parallel holds true, it won't be a problem. His performance this spring has likely catapulted him into the top third of the first round.Enhanced Scouting Report

19

Barnes, Matt

Connecticut

RHP

R/R

6'04"

1990-06-17

JR

Comments: In another Draft class, Barnes -- with his long, lanky frame and potential for a very good three-pitch mix -- would put him close to the top of Draft boards. The depth in outstanding pitching in this class knocks Barnes down a touch, but he's still in line to get taken in the top half of the first round. Barnes can crank his fastball up to 96 mph and will comfortably sit in the 91-93 mph range. He currently throws two breaking pitches. His curve has the chance to be a plus pitch if he focuses on it, with good rotation. His slider is a below-average pitch, and it might be best if he used just the curve at the next level. His changeup has the chance to be a good option, especially against lefties, but he doesn't use it that much now. He should have excellent command in the future and his frame might allow him to add some bulk along the way. He looks and acts like a frontline starter, and that's exactly what he might be down the lineEnhanced Scouting Report